Memphis Democrat July 19, 2000

The garden is just exploding with huge and delicious vegetables. We've never seen anything like it and have to thank Don. This week we harvested our onions and garlic. We also harvested some of our potatoes and the first green beans and tomatoes. Which throws canning into full swing, with Alline leading crews for hot days in the kitchen. Also, we picked peaches, the first fruit off the fruit trees we planted just three years ago. Peaches never tasted so good.

We had lots of folks drop by for short visits this week. Lonnie and Valerie from Fairfield, IA came down with their interns, Holly and Beej, and their friends, John and Deborah. Another visitor from Iowa, Elizabeth, stayed the night after many years of following our progress through the internet. Jacob led a very successful Saturday tour, with folks coming from Memphis, Granger and Downing, MO. Sandy Childress, from Downing, came bearing sweet potatoes from her garden which we very much enjoyed.

Most folks from Dancing Rabbit didn't get to meet them because they were exploring the Dog and Gun. By all accounts it was hot and crowded, but there were many neat things to see. Rachel, Tony and visitor Melissa were also off the farm. They went to Louisville, KY to attend a conference for young progressive women from the South. The population has also dropped even lower as members Jess and Kalen left for vacation.

Thanks to the help of neighbors Michael Roe and Joe Neese, we have a new outhouse. Its actually the old outhouse from Virgil Woehrle place, but they gave us permission to save it from the burn pile.

With intern Alexis' help, we've stepped up the pace at which we are trying to restore our prairie and educate ourselves about it. She's been leading folks on walks of the land to better understand it. She's also starting a small prairie demonstration in front of one of our houses. Visitor Michal has been on the tractor mowing the fields to help the prairie grasses take hold. Rachel has also been working on learning the local flora. She has had the opportunity to go out in the field with some folks from the conservation department and this week was able to see a remnant of surviving intact prairie in Putnam County with field biologist Maureen from Kirksville, MO.

Exciting steps have been made on the buildings recently. Timothy and Jacob have been leading crews that have completed the interior plaster on the remaining room of our strawbale cabin that we call Allium. They are now working on the exterior plaster of our timber framed strawbale building. Tony has been leading crews on Skyhouse that have begun putting in the flooring on the second floor.

We welcome folks to come by for a tour Saturdays at 1pm, but please call first at 883-5511.

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